Just a brief series of notes on the progress of the case against Laura Douglass and Sharon Wolfe....
I spent the afternoon of January 14th in court watching the day's proceedings in the company of Detective Wakefield.
Laura Douglass and Sharon Wolfe were arraigned on several charges including murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Both pleaded not guilty. Personally, I was surprised neither one of them tried to turn state's evidence against the other. When I told Detective Wakefield about it, he said they didn't need it. The prosecution felt they could get both Laura and Sharon without benefit of an immunity agreement.
Sharon Wolfe's attorney asked that the two be tried separately. While there was no objection from the prosecution, Laura was visibly upset by the maneuver. The judge agreed to the motion and promptly scheduled Sharon's trial first. This did not sit well with Sharon, who almost made a scene with her disgust. Regardless, Sharon's preliminary trial date is June 17th. Laura's trial will follow with a preliminary date of July 15th.
Bail was understandably denied.
I am trying to get more information out of Detective Wakefield than is found in my copy of the case file; however, I am receiving less cooperation than before. This is due to the fact that there are now charges pending, and police don't like third parties getting involved "mucking things up." I tried crossing sides to see what Laura or Sharon's attorneys received in discovery, but I was poorly received. It seems that lawyers get offended when a private investigator comes looking for information after he gets their clients charged with murder.
By the way, as a side note, Laura Douglass has been experiencing some additional personal problems. I have been told her parents have cut her off from the family fund she has been feeding on for most of her life. They are trying to disassociate themselves from her as quickly as possible (low profile drug addiction is okay but high profile murder charges are another matter). Her decreased financial status is the reason she has had to change attorneys once already. When the money gets tight, you tend to sell off those things that suddenly matter less than they did before.
Speaking of which, Laura closed Safehaven last week.
It seems The Bleeders are officially over.
